Aquarium Of The Pacific's First Members Prom!

Did You Know? - As far back as the 19th century, a cookie very similar in appearance to the modern fortune cookie was made in Kyoto, Japan, and there is a Japanese temple tradition of random fortunes, called o-mikuji.

The Japanese version of the cookie differs in several ways: they are a little bit larger; are made of darker dough; and their batter contains sesame and miso rather than vanilla and butter.

They contain a fortune; however, the small slip of paper was wedged into the bend of the cookie rather than placed inside the hollow portion.

Did You Know? - The Aquarium of the Pacific (formerly the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific ) is a public aquarium on a 5-acre (20,000 m2) site on Rainbow Harbor in Long Beach, California, United States. It is situated across the water from the Long Beach Convention Center, Shoreline Village, and the Queen Mary Hotel and Attraction

The Aquarium sees 1.5 million visitors a year and has a total staff of over 900 people including more than 300 employees and about 650 volunteers.

The Aquarium features a collection of over 11,000 animals representing over 500 different species in exhibits ranging in size and capacity from about 5,000 to 350,000 gallons.

It opened June 20, 1998

Did You Know? - In the United States, and increasingly in the United Kingdom and Canada, prom (short for promenade) is a semi-formal (black tie) dance or gathering of high school students.

Did You Know? - The East, West and North Forks of the San Gabriel River, rising in the San Gabriel Mountains inside the Angeles National Forest, form the source headwaters of the river.

San Gabriel Reservoir and Morris Reservoir, both formed by flood prevention dams built in the 20th Century, submerge most of the upper stretches of the main stem San Gabriel. It is not long after the river leaves the San Gabriel Canyon and exits from the mountains into the San Gabriel Valley near the city of Azusa.

The normally dry riverbed proceeds southwest to the Santa Fe Dam, which impounds the river in the Santa Fe Flood Control Basin. After exiting the dam, the river flows south in a flood control channel roughly parallel to Interstate 605, also called the San Gabriel River Freeway, past Covina and El Monte, receives Walnut Creek and San Jose Creek from the left in quick succession, then proceeds into the Whittier Narrows where it is impounded behind Whittier Narrows Dam.

Here, the river receives the Rio Hondo from the right, then splits in two immediately after: the main stem continues to flow south, while the Rio Hondo carries a portion of the water southwest to empty into the Los Angeles River near Downey.

The San Gabriel River, however, continues to flow south, past Bellflower and Cerritos. It forms the boundary between Los Angeles and Orange Counties for a brief stretch before merging with Coyote Creek, one of its main tributaries, near Los Alamitos. The river eventually becomes tidal and empties into the outlet of Alamitos Bay between the cities of Long Beach and Seal Beach.

Did You Know? - Docent is a title at some European universities to denote a specific academic appointment within a set structure of academic ranks below professor (i.e. professor ordinarius). Docent is also used at some universities generically for a person who has the right to teach. The term is derived from the Latin word docēns, which is the present active participle of docēre (to teach, to lecture). Becoming a docent is referred to as habilitation.

Did You Know? - Jellyfish or jellies are the major non-polyp form of individuals of the phylum Cnidaria. They are typified as free-swimming marine animals consisting of a gelatinous umbrella-shaped bell and trailing tentacles. The bell can pulsate for locomotion, while stinging tentacles can be used to capture prey.

Jellyfish are found in every ocean, from the surface to the deep sea. Scyphozoans are exclusively marine, but some hydrozoans live in freshwater. Large, often colorful, jellyfish are common in coastal zones worldwide. Jellyfish have roamed the seas for at least 500 million years, and possibly 700 million years or more, making them the oldest multi-organ animal.

Did You Know? - The North Pacific Gyre (spiral or vortex), located in the northern Pacific Ocean, is one of the five major oceanic gyres. This gyre covers most of the northern Pacific Ocean. It is the largest ecosystem on Earth, located between the equator and 50° N latitude, and comprising 20 million square kilometers.

The gyre has a clockwise circular pattern and is formed by four prevailing ocean currents: the North Pacific Current to the north, the California Current to the east, the North Equatorial Current to the south, and the Kuroshio Current to the west. It is the site of an unusually intense collection of man-made marine debris, known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Did You Know? - Rocky reefs are submerged rock outcrops with varying relief, creating refuges for juvenile and smaller fishes in addition to surface area for colonization of algae and invertebrates.

Rocky reefs take a variety of forms, each with a different associated biological community. Starting from the shore, rocky intertidal zones are an interface between land and sea. The rocky intertidal is home to plants, invertebrates, and fishes during high tides.

Crashing waves, daily low tides that strand marine organisms out of the water, and competition for space make life in the rocky intertidal stressful. Nearshore rocky reefs are completely submerged, but still receive enough light for photosynthesis.

They are inhabited by algae, invertebrates, and groundfishes. Rocky reefs in deeper water do not receive enough light for photosynthesis and are dominated by sessile invertebrates, deep sea corals, and groundfishes. Most rocky reefs are beneficial because of the physical structure they provide to support an ecosystem.

Seamounts are particularly unique habitats that are formed by undersea mountains. The steep slopes of the mount force nutrient rich deep waters to rise to the surface generating food sources for a variety of fishes and other marine fauna.

Did You Know? - Kelp grows in underwater "forests" (kelp forests) in shallow oceans, and is thought to have appeared in the Miocene, 23 to 5 million years ago.

The organisms require nutrient-rich water with temperatures between 6 and 14 °C (43 and 57 °F). They are known for their high growth rate — the genera Macrocystis and Nereocystis can grow as fast as half a metre a day, ultimately reaching 30 to 80 metres (100 to 260 ft).

Did You Know This About The Clown Fish?

Fact 1: Clown fish have a mutual symbiotic relationship with the sea anemone; unlike other fish that are paralysed by the anemones poisonous tentacles, the clownfish makes its home amongst the anemones tentacles

Fact 2: Clownfish belong to the Damselfish family

Fact 3: All Clownfish begin life as males; if the dominant female of the group dies then one of the males will develop into a female

Fact 4: Clown fish wait for the sea anemone to paralyse its prey and then eat what the sea anemone leaves behind!

Fact 5: There are 28 different species of Clown Fish

Fact 6: Despite their 'clown' name and image the clown fish is an aggressive fish and very territorial

Fact 7: The most popular species of Clown fish is the Percula clown fish known to most people as the 'Nemo' fish; made popular by the 2003 Disney Movie 'Finding Nemo'

Fact 8: Clown fish are monogamous and mate for life. If the female dies, the male will change sex and become female. She will then mate with one of her own offspring!

Fact 9: Clown fish keep the sea anemone clean and removes parasites from its tentacles

Fact 10: Once the female lays her eggs, the male clown fish will protect them until they hatch

Fact 11: The female clownfish is always larger than the male

Fact 12: They are called 'clown' due to their coloring and large black and white bands of color

Fact 13: The female clownfish can lay up to 1000 eggs at a time and they hatch in about seven days

Fact 14: Clownfish have many predators and due to their distinctive coloring are unable to disguise or camouflage themselves; the sea anemone provides safety and a source of food

Fact 15: Clown fish are poor swimmers and never venture far from their host anemone